Unlaced
by Pardra
Summary: Post X4. AU. Her family was dead, and Zero- no, all of the Hunters, wished the same of her. There was no more room for mistakes or recklessness in her life anymore. X was willing to- he would help her, he'd already made that clear. For some reason that was unbearably painful.
1. Chapter 1

Warning(s): some suicidal thoughts, though nothing really direct, and a little blood. There might be some purpleness in there; I'm used to writing high sci-fi/fantasy so it's to be expected.

Pairing(s): nothing romantic except some alluded past ZeroXIris. Some fluffy X and Iris- he's her "uncle", so to speak, in my headcanon.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own words and ideas.

AN: I'm posting something for the first time in months. Wow. Uh, I had a hectic, un-fun, stressful year. My maternal grandmother was diagnosed with a terminal illness and passed away three months later. I jumped right into writing again for cathartic purposes, but then fall semester started and I live 50 minutes away from college so my Tuesdays and Thursdays were… are, booked with driving, class, driving, and sleeping. I also got a new computer and ended up losing some of my documents, like _Icarus_'s second chapter. No more excuses- I'm back with an angsty fic!

I'm posting this just before I head off to North Carolina for a weekend vacation. The second chapter is mostly written, but not typed up, so it'll be posted sometime next week. Also, I can turn this into a multichaptered fic and not leave it as a two-shot. But that depends on my muses, and feedback. So tell me: Should I extend this two-shot?

Unlaced

~ I ~

Regrets

Iris ran a finger along her scalp, searching for any tangible flaw in the tender synth-skin. Her head hurt- whether from Zero's blows or from assimilating Colonel's militant programming she wasn't sure. She wouldn't complain, though, as her head should have been split open. She was only alive through Zero's expert control over his sabre- and by X's grace.

The Hunters' current- temporary –Commander had wanted her stripped down to the most basic of programming: breathing, stunted motor and cognitive functions. X had, politely, argued against it.

She wasn't sure why. She had attempted murder, worse than that she had attempted to murder _Zero, _someone X considered family. Zero had known X, her "uncle", before she was even schematics on her father's desk. Zero had remained unaffected during the argument- the entire trial, even. But, when asked for his opinion he had shrugged his wide shoulders and agreed with X. She'd been somewhat hopeful when she heard him speak, but it quickly became obvious that Zero was speaking in defense of X and not Iris.

"_I trust X's judgment- he's known her longer than I have and if anyone can tell if her behavior is Maverick, it's X. Maybe you're skeptical because X doesn't wish death on anyone, even his own enemies, but he would never deny the existence of a Maverick unless he truly believes they aren't infected. He says she's not Maverick, so I don't think she's Maverick."_

"_She isn't," X picked up with an appreciative glance at Zero, "though her actions warrant punishment I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to execute her- or humiliate her. She isn't violent anymore."_

No one argued with X, though the Commander looked reluctant to let Iris go, so she was placed in this tiny, dim room. It was in the infirmary, she thought, judging by the important-looking equipment by the bed, but the room was more sparsely furnished than usual. As soon as she was released from the guards' custody and placed here, a reploid from the med bay's staff had cleaned her up and disengaged Colonel's combat programming, though it hadn't been removed. Even now it was calculating ways for her to escape. It kept insistently turning her thoughts to the room's lone window. It was unlocked and large enough for her to fit through; she glanced at it once before turning her gaze to her hands again.

Iris couldn't bring herself to be healthily interested in escape. Her father and one- though surely it was two now- of her brothers were dead. Signas was at an undisclosed location, X and Zero were angry with her, and Repliforce was in tatters- completely beyond repair. She felt the same, really, thinking on how her life had gone up in flames in just a few hours. And truthfully, Iris had no real ambitions of her own; she had always been content with simply furthering Colonel's goals.

She had no purpose now.

The door sliding open jolted her out of her into alertness. Had the MH Commander gone back on his word and decided to kill the last of the Repliforce-allied Cainbots? With X away, there wouldn't be any real opposition to her execution. Iris might not want to live, but she didn't want to executed either

But it wasn't the Commander, or one of the medical staff, or even Zero. X's armor was scorched and rent; fluid beaded along a gash in his left shoulder, and there were flecks of a caramelized substance spattered about his hands, boots, and neck: That, she was sure, did not come from his own body.

The Hunter looked worn and sad, but less tense than he had before leaving with Zero for the Final Weapon. There was a towel wrapped bundle under his right arm, drizzled with fresh, scarlet fluid; from there, she noticed a laceration in her uncle's forearm. Ah, not just a laceration, the internal underside of his left wrist had a nasty, gaping hole in the tender flesh. His fingers, as he placed the bundle on the bedside table, twitched erratically, and she guessed some synth-ligaments had been severed; the bone might even have been chipped. Regardless, his buster was probably not operable.

As X straightened, slowly- was his back injured too? –his eyes met hers, and she couldn't stop herself from asking: "He's dead isn't he?"

Her voice was quiet, and calmer than she felt. She knew the answer to her own question. General had sworn to her that, no matter the outcome of the final battle, he probably would not be alive at the end of it. And she couldn't ignore the PA announcement, almost two hours ago, that had gleefully informed the Hunters of her brother's downfall.

X's green eyes soften as he nodded; he knew he wouldn't be breaking the bad news, merely cementing it, "He redeemed himself in the end. Your father would be proud."

"And heartbroken," she added, with the first shred of bitterness she'd felt since her incarceration; "Let us not forget that."

The android didn't even blink at her words, and, if anything, his voice became softer, more tender. "I'm not forgetting that your brothers died, not any time soon. I imagine it will keep me awake for many more nights."

"And Zero?" Iris queried tentatively. Zero was treacherous territory for both of them. "Does he feel any remorse for what he did?"

X tilted his head and regarded her, and suddenly the equipment by her bed was extremely interesting.

"He feels that their deaths were unnecessary… and that Colonel's reckless nature was foolishness on the part of his family."

That hurt, and stoked her anger, until she recalled the memory of the two Reploids fighting, both of them unyielding, powerful males.

"They're both stupidly proud at times," X remarked sadly, then noticed her expression and continued. "I don't think he meant it cruelly; Zero knows his own vices."

"Yes, he was very proud," it stung to agree with what was almost an insult against her dead twin, but it was an indisputable truth that had given the Cain family grief for years. Still, Iris had never expected it to be a fatal flaw.

"I'm sure he does know his own vices," she smiled, "After all you do constantly remind him of them."

X's lips twitched in a quick grin, "Of course I do: Someone has to keep his head from getting too big."

The brief normalcy between them made her throat painfully tight. Iris swallowed and turned her gaze to the medical machinery again. X didn't speak, letting her compose herself until she could ask: "Why am I still alive, X? Your Commander wanted me dead; Zero wouldn't have stopped him, I don't think, but you did."

X shifted his weight to his right leg, then winced and leaned back, "Zero's a bit of an extremist when it comes to fighting. Maybe it's because his entire life has been centered on it, very few Reploids' lives aren't. He knows that once someone has suffered a loss like you have it's best to deal with them and forget. Depression, among other mental disorders, makes a reploid more susceptible to infection by the Virus, and recovery from depression is long in coming: In this way Reploids and humans aren't so different."

Her lip curled at the comparison but she was sure X still saw it, but if he did he made no mention of it as he continued, "So, yes, it would be safer to execute you- but it would also be far less rewarding."

Iris brought her hands up to her aching eyes, unable to argue through the pressure in her throat. She heard X move then, and felt a firm grip on her left bicep, pulling her to her feet. Iris, choking and hardly able to see, collapsed against his torso, hiding her face against his neck. The embrace was somewhat awkward due to the pair being the exact same size.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her voice distorted by her tearless weeping. She was sorry for attacking Zero; for the loss of her brothers that she could have prevented; for hating her father's race; for spitting on X's values. For having ever been activated. _It hurts!_

And, just as it had been when she was a newbuilt, X was immediately there, old, and gentle, and soothing.

"I know it does," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her, the thick metal of his gauntlets resting gently against the small of her back. "Stop saying such morbid things," across their renewed link, she felt bitter amusement that, when coming from X, usually meant hypocrisy or irony.

"What am I going to do then, X? My family is dead, and Zero- no, all of the Hunters wish the same of me."

A hand reached up to shakily stroke her hair- the right hand, then, "I'm not dead, Signas is out there somewhere, still alive, and most of the Hunters do _not_ want you dead," X pointed out calmly. "As for Zero…I'll speak with him, smooth things over."

It wouldn't help. X couldn't help with this and Iris knew it. It would have been less painful to kill him: Zero would never speak to her again after- The arms holding her so snugly shifted, sliding slowly upward. His body was poised, synthetic muscles tense, shivering with stress. X was cupping her elbows now, his upper body leaning toward- past her, and he put his mouth next to her left ear. His breathing was soft and controlled. Iris wasn't sure what exactly had changed in the past few seconds but her uncle was no longer the android she'd known for her entire existence. She was terrified.

"Iris," he told her softly, his voice like steel wrapped in fleece, "If you ever try to finish what you started today with Zero, _I_ will kill you."

She could scarcely breathe, she was so shocked- and _X_ _was threatening_ to take her life _himself_. X, her self-sacrificing, kind uncle.

Said uncle squeezed her shoulder, not unkindly, and finished, "Do you understand?"

Her voice seemed to have shorted out from the surprise of it all- she wanted to believe the MH Commander had charged him with her execution should she disobey, but somehow she knew better –but she managed to nod in reply to the stranger in familiar armor. _There is no room for mistakes or recklessness in my life anymore, _she realized, feeling him pick up on her words.

"Good girl," he praised her in a tone that was infinitely warmer than before; he seemed relieved almost.

The Hunter was thankfully replaced with the X she knew and loved, holding her and looking at her with the knowingness of his thirty-some decades. Still her body wouldn't stop trembling. X squeezed her in silent reassurance, something like a smile radiating from his side of their link. He believed she could walk away from this, that she could live through this loss- that she wouldn't be hated for the rest of her life for her foolishness. He was willing to- he _would_ help her, he'd already made that clear.

For some reason that was unbearably painful.

"X, I don't know if I want your grace. I-I… I don't deserve this second chance!" She cried, trying to pull away, but he had her forearms caught in his worn hands.

She stopped struggling- it was futile, injured or not, X could easily overpower her -and hung her. He wasn't angered by her refusal, that much she could sense, and his green eyes (when she finally dared to look at him again) were as soft and inscrutable as ever, "You do deserve this, Iris, no one should be condemned for rash behavior, not after they've admitted they were wrong. You wouldn't do it again, would you?"

She imagined Zero, chest caved in by her mech's fist, sapphire eyes wide in shock and pain, and then imagined X's wrath. She felt equally sick and terrified, and quickly shook her head.

He smiled at her conviction, but it disappeared almost immediately as he said: "But, Iris, if you don't want this second chance..."

His grip on her hands became fragile, his fingers merely cupping hers. His expression was intense and wary as he searched her eyes.

"I… It's you decision, Iris. I won't stop you."


	2. Unlaced, Chapter 2 - Decisions

AN: All of the warnings/pairings are the same as last time. Wow, I got the second chapter out on time.

Decisions

Zero's bubble of personal space apparently had an electrical current running through it after returning from the Final Weapon. Hunters dove through doorways and flattened themselves against the walls as he stalked the halls of MHHQ. Maybe it was the scowl on his face that he couldn't seem to peel off, or the news of X's "betrayal" of him to Iris that had spread like wildfire. Regardless, no one had any business being that close to him. No one but X- if only because he couldn't get the clingy Lightbot off of him –or Ir-

Zero snarled at the half-formed thought, sending a nearby cadet bolting into the closest wall in fright. He didn't feel sorry. He hurt too much to be sorry. His feet hurt and his fists hurt- the right one was cramped –his jaw hurt from face-planting during the infiltration of Final Weapon- X denied it, but he'd laughed at him –even his _hair_ hurt. And there was a persistent ache in his chest.

He should have killed her. He should have run her through- along with her blasted mech –or denied X's appeal in the courtroom. It would have been better for all of them.

Zero shook his head and sped up. The sooner he made it to Med Bay and got dismissed the sooner he could sleep and put all of this behind him. Of course, he'd have to find X first because he probably hadn't gotten checked out yet; X had been so worried about _her, _even with his buster arm debilitated and gushing lubricant and coolant. What was it with him and disregarding his own wellbeing worrying for others- he could practically hear X tell him what a hypocrite he was, but at least Zero took care of his own wounds first. _She_ hadn't even been injured other than a knock on the head- which she had absolutely deserved!

"Commander Zero," called a (somewhat) familiar voice. X would have remembered who it belonged to.

Zero turned to see a (somewhat) familiar reploid in an olive uniform_- Someone from Investigations? _–running in the hallway behind him. The reploid came to a dignified, if unsteady, halt in front of him. He must have been a desk Hunter because he seemed overheated even though his branch of operations wasn't more than a short sprint away.

_Now the paperwork is coming to me. Can't a guy _sleep_ before filing brain-melting reports- or at least stop bleeding._

"That's my name," _Now spit it out. _"Is there something you need?"

The solemn reploid nodded and looked suspiciously at any passerby, habit, Zero supposed, from working with evidence and confiscated weapons. He remembered going to Investigations' headquarters once, and gazing in shock at the endless walls of evidence lockers. Only X knew how they kept track of everything. Well, the olive uniformed reploid knew, too, but he wasn't about to ask the guy about his job.

"Commander Zero," the ginger haired officer began, "This is urgent. Is it true that the Repliforce… detainee is being kept in an unlocked room in the Medical Bay?"

Zero felt his enthusiasm sputter like wet dynamite, "Yeah, she's in Med Bay. But, an unlocked room? I wouldn't know. If it _is_ unlocked it's that blue creampuff's doing, not mine. And it probably _is_ unlocked…. and he's an idiot."

The tall officer didn't look impressed with Zero's temper, "I know Commander X hasn't been with her all day; do you know where he is now?"

"Oh, he's definitely with her now, the Commander himself informed me," he admitted dryly.

The reploid stiffened, "Sir, he could be in danger."

He was instantly alert again, "Who?"

"Commander X. I was told to locate you and Commander X and inform you that Colonel's sabre is missing from its locker. Colonel's sabre was stolen. Security footage shows nothing and it takes some professional smithing to crack those locks."

Zero stared, "Footage manipulation, professional- Ir-!" Zero broke off with a thunderous curse and barely put any distance between himself and the other reploid before activating his dash boots and hurtling back down the corridor.

He didn't have far to go, thank every roboticist from Cain to Asimov for that, but every Hunter and their squad seemed determined to move in front of him. Or, freeze in shock, regardless, they were in the way, though, they were so unresisting when he plowed past them that they weren't more than a nuisance.

Until a hippo-themed reploid, stock still in surprise, found hims- _herself_, (the high yelp of shock was clearly female) sitting on the floor. The resulting impact jarred every hurt in his body, but he had essentially run into a living wall of metal, so that was to be expected. Zero shook it off and continued on. No one dared be caught in his path after they'd seen him knock down a multi-tonned hippopotamus with a dash jump. Not that he'd done it on purpose- he'd underestimated her height and the rest of her squad had packed into the corridor around her.

_Wasn't that some of the 17__th__ Unit loitering around back there? X is going to have words with me- if I can get to him before she does._

Zero made it to Med Bay, and, realizing he didn't know the room number, opted to stop at the help desk rather than fling open every door. He collided with the reception desk and almost headbutted another unfortunate female. The brunette receptionist pushed off from her desk with a shriek- not the kind he was used to hearing from women –and, in her haste, flung the pink mug she'd been cradling. The acidic/bitter smell of hot coffee filled the air.

"Commander Zero!" She cried, hands flying to her mouth, "Is everything alright?!"

"No. Repliforce detainee. Room number."

Coherent thought went out the window when your psychotic girlfriend was trying to stab your X through with her brother's sabre. The brunette receptionist gestured wildly at her computer, between Zero's firmly-planted palms. A second brunette receptionist took pity on her and called out the number for her.

"Room 1-32!"

Without any acknowledgement, he launched back into a run in the same direction he'd been going. From the way he'd come the rooms had increased in number; the reception desk was across from rooms 1-20 and 1-21, he didn't have far to go, and in mere seconds he was at the right door. There were no guards in the way, and predictably, the door was locked when he tried to open it.

He tried nicely at first, with his presence, with his palm, and then with the access board, but when it refused the appropriate code Zero threw himself against the door. It held, though the entire frame rattled (And so did his right shoulder).

Zero pressed his hands against the cool metal slab and yelled, "Iris! Open the door before I cut through it!"

It wasn't Iris who answered him, but an amused-sounding X, "Zero, you left your sabre in your quarters. And Signas won't be pleased with you when he gets here tomorrow and his first task as Commander is to fix the Infirmary."

Signas? That name was familiar; but he probably just heard it from X earlier since X had known who the permanent replacement Commander was since before Cain had written it on official document.

"X! You get out of there, she's armed!"

"I know," came the unhurried reply.

Zero brought his face nearer to the door, ready to snatch X to safety if the door opened even an inch, so help him Asimov, "X, that was your cue to back out y'know."

"I'll be out in a moment, Zero."

"Wh-what," Zero took his ear off the door and glared at in a mixture of aggravation and fear, "Are you in there having tea with a murderer?!"

"I'm busy," was the answer.

"I- …. Well, fine! But I'm not going anywhere!" it wasn't like Iris could stab X through the eye before he blasted her head off, right?

So Zero moved to the side of the door, leaned back and crossed his, and waited. After a moment a thought occurred to him. His arms slid to his sides.

_Oh, yeah… mangled buster arm._

_XIRISX_

Iris started in fear when she heard Zero's voice, rough with anger, shouting her name. Her fingers tightened around the cold shaft of her brother's sabre, feeling as guilty and panicked as a child caught stealing from the cookie jar. Not that her heart had stopped pounding from the moment X unwrapped the bundle on the table and handed her the weapon.

X smiled reassuringly at her before addressing Zero. Iris wanted to wrap her arms around herself, but there was the disturbing weight of the sabre in her palm and she couldn't bring herself to put it down, or do anything but stare at it, her uncle's words ringing in her ears.

~I~

"_Iris, if you ever want to have the Hunters' respect, if you want people to trust you again, you're going to have to work for it. I never wanted you to fight, I never thought you'd have to, but now I'm asking you… to give up your past with Repliforce."_

_She stared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief, "You want me to become a Hun- No! I…" She would be betraying Colonel, destroying her life. But Colonel was dead, and she _had_ no life with Repliforce, not anymore._

_Still, she couldn't bear the thought of picking up her brother's weapon and becoming a killer. It wasn't in her._

"_I-it's too soon," she protested fearfully, hunching in on herself._

_X's helmeted head tilted, green eyes regarding her, "No. It was too soon for you to jump into that ride armor and rush to your death trying to murder Zero. It's not too soon for you to start making a new life."_

_Iris turned her head away in silent denial. X grabbed her right hand, gently pried open her clenched fingers, and pressed the sabre into her palm. He closed her hand over the hilt. _

"_Iris, I'm not telling you that you can't grieve, I'm telling you that in this situation you either have to move on or be left behind. There… there aren't many people who want to help you right now."_

_His grip on her hands became fragile, his fingers merely cupping hers. His expression was intense and wary as he searched her eyes._

"_I… It's you decision, Iris. I won't stop you."_

~I~

"Iris?"

She jumped again, though X's prodding was less nerve-wracking than Zero's shouts. Her uncle was watching her, waiting, and she couldn't hear Zero anymore, though she knew he wasn't far.

"X? I understand why you are asking me to do this. And I understand why I can't become a Navigator again,"- a Navigator could easily manipulate a Hunter into destruction, depending on the rank of the Hunter themselves, and with the rate that younger Hunters died no one would think twice about it. But if a rookie died under her instruction she would always be blamed for it and looked upon with suspicion-"But, I _can't_."

Iris gestured to her throbbing head, in reference to the shoddy assimilation job.

Again, X tilted his head, gracing her with a twisted little smile, "You and your brother were supposed to be a single unit, you know. Cain had all of the schematics for the final form. Unfortunately, there were issues, not the least of them being that even in Reploids, male and female brains think differently, and Cain and I had already gotten attached to the two of you as you were…. I have the schematics."

"It's impossible," she denied immediately. The result of combining two sentient Reploids together would… ah, "I suppose, in theory, I could house Colonel's core programming; be converted to assimilate it properly."

She couldn't stop herself from sounding both disgusted and intrigued, which was mirrored by the slight wrinkle in X's nose. Still, a bit of Colonel with her, urging her on and protecting her… it didn't sound so bad. But would Colonel have wanted her to become a Hunter?

Iris voiced this final predicament, and X replied, "He would have wanted you safe, above all else, regardless of where you found that safety."

She diverted her eyes shyly, but her smile faded when she saw the lubricant and coolant coagulating on the floor, "You'll keep me safe?"

X nodded, "I will, and so will Signas. You didn't listen to what I said to Zero, did you?"

She was fearful again, rubbing her fingers along the ribbed hilt of Colonel's- well, it was her sabre now she supposed, "A little. X, I think I _will _take your offer."

She half-expected him to deny her, "Ah. We'll get started tomorrow afternoon- if all goes well with Lifesaver, that is," he gestured with his lame arm, which was looking decidedly limper than before.

X turned without a word, swaying dangerously to the left. She reached out to steady him, but he regained his balance without her, "I'm all right, just a little dizzy."

Iris watched him limp to the door, as he was reaching out to unlock it she stopped him one last time, "X, wait. Whose Unit am I training with?"

X sighed, from tiredness, not annoyance, and looked over his shoulder, "You'll want to go sign yourself into the 17th's roster: it's accepting new members to replace the ones lost during the war. There will be a slot open for you, I made sure of it."

As he left the room, and the shouting began outside, Iris covered her mouth began to cry.

~I~

AN: So, what did you think? I'm definitely continuing this, but for now, while final exams are going on, all of my fics are taking a little break, besides, this is where I originally planned to end it.


	3. (One-Sided) Arguments

Warnings: Blood, nothing graphic. Bromance, does that count?

Pairings: Mentioned past Zero/Iris.

AN: This would have been out hours ago, but my computer froze and when I turned it back on only 300 of my over 100 words remained so I had to rewrite it all the while wanting to punt my computer through a wall. Well, enjoy, tell me what you think, ask questions; don't be shy, I don't bite. My apologies if there's something morbidly wrong in this chapter—I'd intended to have it published two days ago, but the 4th chapter ended up being longer than intended, and I don't like edited a prior chapter while writing a newer one. It confuses the muses. The muses are delicate)

(P.S.: These are the clever titles you come up with at 1:00 in the morning after writing three hours straight something you _already_ wrote for three hours straight at an earlier time.)

~Z~

(One-Sided) Arguments

The minutes ticked by slowly, so _painfully_ slowly that he was almost shaking with anticipation when minute seven finally rolled around. Zero sighed and checked the time for the umpteenth time. Seeing no spectacular progress he went back to drumming his heels and staring into the floor's soul. Not that floors had souls, but if they did he'd have found it by now.

How long did it take to check up on that girl? Was he personally giving her an examination? He didn't think he'd hit her that hard, enough to offline her but not hard enough to shake anything loose—a knock on the head. Zero couldn't blame X for being concerned, though. X wasn't X unless he was fathering someone, and Zero wouldn't even trust Lifesaver to humanely play _Operation,_ let alone deal with a relative. Still, X could soothe the most panicked and traumatized Hunters almost as well as any sedative, so if she was being problematic it wouldn't last long.

_Problematic indeed, _he grumbled to himself, shuffling his crossed arms in annoyance. _I know she wasn't bleeding when we left, so she shouldn't be now—unless she's tried to kill herself._

Something funny stirred inside the Crimson Hunter, something like a fresh wave of anxiety, but he didn't care what happened to her, so that couldn't be it.

Zero freed his left hand and eyed it; a pathetic scratch was still visible along the thumb of his glove, oozing lubricant. _Well, _I'm_ bleeding so why didn't he check on me?_ Maybe it was ridiculous to think that tiny cut warranted X's attention, but he _was_ bleeding. X usually reacted to the appearance of someone else's blood like a shark—though slightly less predatorily—but he'd barely fussed at Zero when they got back to base. He grumbled and turned his head to look at the door.

He couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't shake the mental image of X with saber wounds through his head and fusion generator. It was the most terrifying idea he'd ever had, worse even than that idea of Cain—NO (Just no). X wasn't a frail and ailing old human like Cain, or a Virus-susceptible soldier like Storm. Or a pretty girl with a grudge and a death wish—why did saying her name hurt so much? She wasn't dead like the other two.

X and death didn't interact, in Zero's opinion—not unless X was dealing it out on the field—X was old and cunning, even if he didn't show it, and he was surprisingly resilient. Cain was human, and humans and death were inescapably close, and heartbreak was always a possibility when seeking romance—human entertainment spouted that _incessantly—_but X…he was different. Death did not happen to X, _nothing_ could happen to him while Zero was around.

X was irreplaceable.

The door slid open and Zero was away from the wall in an instant, tense and ready should Iris be the one who appeared instead of X. But it _was_ X who staggered out into the hall, looking like Sigma had dragged him there from the top floor of HQ and let him hit every theoretical step on the way down. Shortly put, X was looking more exhausted than he had when they'd first landed back at headquarters.

Zero stared, wide eyes searching for any new rents in the sorry blue hide. He wasn't bleeding anymore even if it was hard to tell with all the lubricant already there. So X hadn't been lying bleeding and dying on the floor in Iris's room while Zero waited, but he'd certainly bled on it. Some of the smaller wounds were almost completely sealed, but he was in worse condition than he should have been. The auto-repair system Light had given X was unparalleled, doing most of its work in the field right after a traumatic injury when most reploids' AR systems would have failed from the shock. It was pretty hard to kill X on the field with that AR.

_Probably bled out most of his nanites,_ Zero realized. _But he still shouldn't be this bad off. How low's his energy?_

"You look terrible!" Zero blurted, unable to keep his concern from showing through.

"But I'm not dead, am I?" X retorted cheekily.

Zero almost snarled. How dare he make light of this?! He'd entered an enclosed space with a possibly hostile reploid—while incapacitated—as if he'd never had a day of training in his life! If he'd been one of Zero's trainees he'd have knocked X upside the head already. He would have, regardless of whose trainee he was or wasn't, if he didn't fear injuring him further. He'd sat out here for…fifteen minutes tearing his hair out in torment thinking X was being slowly murdered as Iris stabbed him repeatedly through the left eye socket—X could at least appreciate that.

"You almost look like it," he snapped, stung by X's jesting.

The Blue Bomber's entire body seemed to droop, instantly sober; X eyed him critically, "Zero, I was fine in there. I was never in any danger."

"She was armed!" He hissed in retaliation, before realizing that X's hands were empty of cylindrical devices, "Hey, X, where's the saber?" He asked warily; surely X hadn't….

X wouldn't meet Zero's gaze, and the blond felt a lump form in his throat when X spoke, "It's with Iris."

"And why is that, X?" Zero starting to feel a tad hysterical. Just a tad.

"It's hers now. I gave it to her."

Zero _shivered_ with equal parts anger and surprise. He was never angry with X. Frustrated? Well, they both tended to step on each other's toes. Confused? Almost always: X was weird, especially for a reploid. But Zero was never _angry_ with him. But this? This was stupid bordering on suicidal. Just like Iris.

"You…you…_you!" _He shouted helplessly; there was no way to describe X's actions—other than X being himself, that is. Well, insane would work.

X turned to hop in the direction opposite the reception desk, toward the infirmary, where Lifesaver usually was, "Yes, Zero, me," he admitted wearily.

Zero's vexation drained away as he jogged to catch up to the blue android, craning his head to look at the favored leg. It wasn't bleeding, but it still didn't look so great.

"You can tell Investigations they did a good job; it was all a drill."

Zero didn't even remember stopping, but suddenly he was fifteen paces behind X and his mouth was wide open. Zero stared after X's battered form, the information he'd just received did _not_ want to process. _Encode. Encode!_ He strode back to X's side, more tempted than ever to grab the smaller android by the shoulders and _shake him_ until his reasoning cortex popped back into place.

He barred X's way, facing him down with a ferocious scowl that would have caused most newbies to faint. X merely blinked, and that was more out of 'of, why's there a person in front of me?' than fear.

"You could have _died_, she could have lopped you into pieces and you wouldn't have been able to stop her." Was his voice trembling?

"She didn't hurt me, Zero, she never even tried or thought about it," looked up sharply, realizing he'd said something he hadn't meant to.

Zero suddenly felt as faint as X looked.

"You let her into your head," he remarked calmly, "Are you insane?"

X lurched abruptly, splaying his leg to stop his momentum, "If I fall over I'll be sure to land on you," he decided aloud, apparently ignoring Zero's question.

The blond Hunter eyed his friend sharply as they began to walk in tandem, X's forearm wound—which had ceased oozing—was now weeping in thin lines. He queried for a scan which X unresistingly allowed; the result was as he'd expected. Zero shook his head in disbelief.

"Going to see her in _this_ condition; I could just—just…_shake_ you! And you probably _have_ bled all over her room, too; Light knows it's all over the hall like a gory anime death. And I pity the maintenance worker who has to clean out the cockpit of your starfighter!"

X stopped walking again and Zero overshot him by a few steps. The little guy looked at him—brows drawn together— then down at his mangled, buster-dominant arm.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in a surprisingly clear tone that told Zero there was more forthcoming, "But you shouldn't be jealous about me linking with Iris."

Zero's synthskin flushed an appropriate shade. He felt like a scolded child, jealous of another sibling for taking away his parent's attention. Even with a quarter tank of energy and on nanite reservation mode he still couldn't get anything past X.

The older android squinted at him, then nodded, "Of course not," guessing at his thoughts or using some freaky Lightbot telepathy power.

When no hurt look was issued Zero assumed he was guessing.

X began limping on again, "She's my niece, Zero, I have connections with all of the Cainbots. Well, I did," a knowing smile (grimace) appeared on X's pale face, "Don't think you're such a golden boy to me, Zero, the only reason you haven't heard of me channeling someone is because Cain was human."

Now it was Zero's turn to smirk, "And I'm your only friend here."

X halted again, and at first Zero thought he was just trying to throw him off, but he leaned against the wall to rest again. His face was tight with pain—or annoyance.

"Aren't we special?" X asked dryly, lifting a brow. Oh, he was annoyed.

"Commander!" Zero tensed at the sound of the female voice, moving slightly in front of X.

But it was the same receptionist he'd terrified earlier. _Geeze, I am obsessed,_ Zero berated himself as the female peered into X's eyes, her face a mask of worry.

"This doesn't look good," she told him grimly.

_Are you medically trained?_ He wanted to ask, but X waved his hand dismissively and Zero shot a look at the man in blue before saying, "It's pretty bad; you should get Lifesaver."

The receptionist nodded, looking staunch, before running past them to retrieve the chief of Medical. Zero appreciatively noted the lack of tassets on the receptionist uniforms, like the outfits some of the navigators wore, she was covered in smooth, un-plated mint green from her chest to her knees. When he turned his attention back to X he was greeted by half-lidded eyes and a smug smile.

Zero stared off after the hurried reploid, mumbling, "Oh, he looks bad, but I have a feeling he's not as loopy as he's pretending to be."

"Are you calling me a liar?" X demanded unsteadily, though Zero wasn't sure if it was from dizziness or if he was trying not to laugh.

"I'm calling you a big faker because you just don't want to argue with me right now."

X let his head rest uncomfortably against the off-white wall, grimacing, "I never want to argue with you. Besides, I _can't_ think well enough to argue with you—not that there's nothing to argue about: You're just being grumpy."

The blond Hunter folded his arms, "So this is what you did when you dashed off to _her_? Spewed vague nonsense? And she was reassured by that?" He scoffed at the thought.

X shut his eyes tiredly and heaved a massive sigh, "I'll have you know I was perfectly rational in there: Now I'm not."

"So…my existence makes you stupid?" Zero's face split with a Cheshire-wide grin as X's eyes snapped open.

But to his surprise, X nodded slightly, "Yes. It's…mutual."

Zero immediately realized what X was referring to—the first Uprising—and the implications of what he was saying. And he remembered what X had asked of him earlier— The Crimson Hunter averted his face from X's knowing eyes, the sympathizing weight of them was almost too much. Had _she_ learned that look from her uncle? That ability to convey so much without a word or motion? X's empathy was frightening at times, times like right now.

They remained that way for a full minute, Zero tensely watching his old friend and X conserving his strength against the wall, until an extremely grumpy and surprisingly welcome voice drew Zero's attention. Lifesaver could be seen at the far end of the corridor, dragging a gaggle of hapless nurses behind him; the Medic was finally here. The Crimson Hunter stepped forward to give Lifesaver a report of X's state when he heard a small gasp and saw a flash of blue looming at his right side.

Suddenly X and Zero were both on the floor, a spike of pain stabbing through every sore spot on his body. Lifesaver shouted but Zero was too engrossed in scanning his friend to care about what he said. X was unconscious, not…not dead, and no worse off than before, just fainted. But why? He'd been fine a moment ago. And why fall on him?! _Oh!_

"Well," Zero admitted weakly, staring at the offlined android's shuttered eyes as he sat up, "You did warn me."

~Z~

AN: Good night, I stayed up way too late on this. Stupid computer freezing…


	4. A Little Less Arguing

WARNINGS: Little bit of blood, mentions of violence, nothing new.

Pairing(s): Past Zero/Iris.

Nonromantic Pairings: More Zero/X bromance because I love it.

Playlist: Mostly listened to Liar by Popeska…and Without End by Dommin *giggles*.

AN: I was a big dummy and didn't stretch this out over the week like I was supposed to. 1/3 of it I typed up last night and the other 2/3 I typed up today. Blah _ .

So this is the last Unlaced for a while. I'm working on the next chapter, but I have a Christmas fic/oneshot collection I need to work on and a few other projects. I have chapter five started but I'd really like to map out more of this fic before I continue. I only have a few more chapters planned out…..(I need to map out all of my fics actually X_X)

Unlaced, Chapter 4

A Little Less Arguing (More Telling)

—Z—

Zero yelped as Lifesaver pinched the synthflesh of his cheek. The side of his face he'd faceplanted on twice earlier. The _very sore_ side of his face.

He snarled and covered his face defensively; shooting glares of loathing that would have made a less ornery reploid faint in terror—even in civilian clothing as he was now. Lifesaver simply stared back in his nonplussed way, reminding him of X, only blander.

"Well, no nerves seem to have been damaged," the Medic began slowly. "Sensory receptors are responding well to temperature and pressure. It's just a bad contusion: you'll survive to dismember Mavericks another day yet."

Zero rubbed gently at the stinging site on his upper right arm where he'd received his nanite injection. It felt great to have a fresh batch. Not that he was grateful to Lifesaver—anytime when that Medic had to come near him with a needle was a reason to be grouchy for the rest of the day. But it was a relief that the soreness in his body was finally subsiding. He grunted in acknowledgement of the Medic and lifted himself off the table, stretching his limbs appreciatively.

"How's X?" He hadn't asked since Lifesaver had walked into his exam room and all but whacked him over the head with his clipboard in an attempt to shut him up.

Lifesaver surprised him by checking his clipboard, "Still fine. He's sleeping now. He's had his nanites replenished, but I want him to stay overnight so he can rest."

"Alright," Zero said, relieved, as he pulled open the door to the exam room he'd been stuck in for the past forty-two minutes. "So _where_ is X?"

The gruff reploid gestured down the hall as he scrutinized his chart once more, "Commander X is in room 74."

Zero looked back at him, "Is he still being treated?"

"If he was still being treated I probably wouldn't have told you the room number," Lifesaver pointed out. "Remember, we're only keeping him overnight for his own convenience. He's _fine_. And be quiet if you go in there, hard as it may be for you; he's resting."

Zero grunted again, unwilling to say something nasty to him. X had personally shown him what happened when a Medic was holding a grudge and trying to paste your skin back together; who knew bandages could hurt so much? And, unlike X, Lifesaver had a long memory and little forgiveness.

He didn't look back and the two went down opposite ends of the hall, one more relieved than the other.

—Z—

The door to room 74 slid open, allowing Zero to dart into the dim interior, trying to keep the change in light from waking X. He was fairly photosensitive, and the easiest way to get him up quickly was to march right into his bedroom and switch on the overhead light—and then beat a hasty retreat or be bombarded with whatever book X kept on his nightstand.

He felt nervous, like there was something other than X waiting for him. Both visual and proximity scans revealed one sleeping android, who remained undisturbed. Zero huffed in annoyance of his own paranoia and reached along the wall for the switch, adjusting the lighting till the room was lit with a vague, warm glow. He hoped X wouldn't start throwing things at him.

Zero eased himself up to the right side of the bed and scrutinized the android resting there. X's armor had been removed; like Zero's, it was probably off for some sorely needed maintenance. He didn't look as pale as he had, probably because of the nanite and coolant/lubricant transfusions or the contrast of the white shirt against his skin.

Even after knowing X for his entire life, sometimes, after grittier mission, seeing him un-armored still made Zero double-take. Part of him wanted to say that Light was a sneaky, diabolical old man for creating WMDs with the faces of human children—very _sweet_-looking human children. X looked so harmless without his armor. How anyone raised a weapon again X's big brother Rock without they being programmed to just that, Zero would never know.

Another part of him was horrified. There was a reason reploids were (if they were humanoid) modeled after humans in their twenties—at _least._

Zero knew X hadn't been…"conceived" with combat in mind. Self-defense, yes; X could repel a small armada with just his X buster and no back-up if he had to. But under the titanium-x alloy armor, the Variable Weapon system, and the x-buster, was someone's son. Cain had always brought up how different x was, his tone marveling and morose. Now Zero thought maybe the old guy hadn't been referring to X's inscrutable internal design, or his views, or personality, specifically.

X alone in this world of free-willed constructs had not been created to build, move, detain, or kill the way most reploids were—though some reploids were built as companions, or offspring. X was Dr. Light's son, the youngest child of a lonely old man with no biological children of his own. But there was no denying, son of Light or not, that X had been built to revolutionize.

Zero tilted his head, shifting until he was leaning over the bed to study the soft lines of X's face. Relaxed in sleep, he was indistinguishable from a human boy. If the silvery-clear bands of new synthskin shining around his arms and shoulders could be overlooked, that is. Underneath the bands, X's wounds were already less alarming to look at.

What was X's purpose? Son, revolutionary invention or not, ailing old men didn't shorten their life spans slaving away on delicate projects just for that. What drove Light to finish X? Had he just been a hobby? A test of Light's skills? Zero discarded that line of thought immediately. He'd seen a few memories of Light that X had shared with him. Men—just _holograms_ of men—didn't _look_ at someone that way if they were just a finished project.

Something hot and tight clenched deep inside him, an unfamiliar sensation that was so physical he immediately ran scans. There was nothing there but a generator and the other usual suspects he found inside his torso. _I guess I'm still upset about Iris, and X._

Zero moved around the bed quietly and sank into the chair next to X's bed. He ran his hands through his hair attempting to smooth and untangle it with expert fingers. He settled as deeply into the chair as the little metal bastard would allow and prepared to rest. His eyes flitted over to X again, watching the reassuring rise and fall of his chest. Cain was right: there was something so different about X, but was it his origin or his purpose that made him different?

What did it mean, exactly, being someone's son?

—Z ~X~ Z—

Zero had been dozing in the metal trap of a chair at X's side for ten minutes before he heard the faintest of sounds. His head snapped up, the Hunter instantly alert. His eyes met X's green ones, which were squinted in irritation. _Uh-oh._

"What, X?"

"What," X forced the words out of his throat. Zero would offer him a drink, but he didn't have one handy at the moment. "Has you so upset?"

"Oh," Zero blinked. Not even online for a full minute and he was already trying to fix things. That was X for you—a distress-seeking missile.

Zero didn't answer, letting X examine the small, clean room with passive interest before his eyes came back to rest on Zero.

The expectant look on X's face was all he prompting he needed to launch into an explanation.

"You bled out, lost a lot of nanites, there was minimal energy loss to some of your neural functions which resulted in some…funny side-effects," Zero's mouth twitched. Now that he knew X wasn't in danger his loss of coherence was pretty amusing. "Though I have this suspicion that you were more aware than you pretended."

Zero gazed at the smaller android, who met him with an intrigued blink. He snorted and chose not to pursue the issue.

"You also offlined and fell on top of me. I had to explain to the nurses and Lifesaver why I was rolling around on the floor with Commander X; my hair's a mess thanks to you," he interjected with another glare, which X deflected by looking cute and sleepy.

"So, Lifesaver hauled you away into the bowels of his cave, and once he was done with you he came back to maul me. You should have been more interesting. You had a nick in your neural-nanite flow but you were never in any real danger, just exhaustion, depleted energy, and bleeding all over the place. Lifesaver was done with you pretty quickly."

X lifted his right arm and gazed at the new synthflesh, and then sheepishly at Zero.

"I'll try to bleed more next time," he said apologetically.

Zero eyed him suspiciously for ten seconds, until the twitch in X's mouth told him that X was fully coherent and joking. He grumbled and crossed his arms, turning his attention to the less-deceitful ceiling.

"I've half a mind to ignore you," he huffed.

"Yes, but the other half wants something from me," X pointed out, wriggling into a more elevated position. "It's about me going to see Iris, isn't it?"

Zero's gaze switched back to X in an instant, "In your current condition—bleeding all over the place—with your weapon disabled, giving a traitor and _attempted murdered_ a weapon. It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen you do."

"I trust her," X replied quietly.

Angrily, Zero retorted, "I _don't. _And _how?!_ She tried to murder me!"

He went quiet, slowly sinking back into his seat. The blonde Hunter looked uncertain, almost afraid—but that was ridiculous because he was _never_ afraid.

"You…You do care about that, don't you?"

X's face contorted in surprise and worry.

"Zero, _of course_ I care. You have no idea how upset I am with her for trying to hurt you," X assured him solemnly. "She's family, Zero, just like you. I helped design her; I was with her through her first months."

X watched Zero, and when he showed no signs of empathy, he continued softly, "I have to give her the benefit of a doubt. If there's one thing I know literally inside and out in this world it's the Cainbots. And you."

_Maybe you don't know me as well as you think, X_. Then the irritation boiled into something helpless and ugly. How _dare_ they? They'd gone against everything their father had taught them, and anyone who hurt X this badly and wasn't Maverick was despicable. _How dare she?!_

But then, she hadn't hurt X directly—she had meant to hurt Zero.

"I hate her," Zero spat with sudden fervor, jaws clenched.

"No you don't," X wasn't protesting, he was stating it. "You don't, Zero."

Zero hauled himself out of his seat to pace stiffly to the end of the bed. His legs were trembling with anger, or maybe something else less common. The room felt smaller somehow. He grabbed the foot of the bed for support, and as something to strangle should his emotions get the better of him.

"You're right," he admitted, his tone sharp and low. "I don't hate her. I can't. But right now I _really_ don't like her." Now his voice was shaking, too.

Zero stood there, his right hand twisted into the bedrail, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself. He checked his energy meter and was surprised when he saw that it was over two-thirds full. _Why am I shivering, then?_

A succession of hollow thumps distracted him from that train of thought. X had moved to the far right side of the bed and was patting the mattress determinedly. Zero wasn't the only one who'd noticed his trembling, apparently.

Despite feeling like a summoned pet, Zero didn't hesitate, perching gratefully on the bed next to X, "I guess I've been sitting still for too long, my legs almost gave out."

"Oh? How long have you been waiting on me?" X didn't believe his explanation for a moment.

"Ah, long enough."

"We're patient tonight, aren't we?" X said dryly.

So he didn't do so great with waiting, "Tired."

X didn't scold him about not going back his quarters and sleeping once he knew X wasn't in danger. Though, he'd expected to be scolded for not taking care of himself—the little hypocrite. But as seconds stretched into minutes, the reprimand didn't come. Curious, he snuck a glance at his blue partner.

X had leaned back against the slotted headboard, his eyes shut and his breathing almost imperceptible. When Zero sent an experimental query towards the android, out of concern—and knowing that a mental probe from a friendly signal would be less alarming than a physical poke. The waves from his processor told him that X was, in fact, wide awake.

Unsure if X was trying to sleep (or if something was wrong) Zero sat in silence with him. After five minutes, Zero felt decidedly calmer—and groggy. He turned back to X, who hadn't so much as twitched in the time that had transpired.

_Is he mad at me? _Sometimes, it was hard to tell what X was thinking when he got like this—regardless of how long you'd known him. The blond reploid shook his head as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and started to rise.

"I should have paid more attention. I didn't know she'd hurt you so badly."

Zero crashed back onto the mattress, body tense with smoldering anger, "Of course I'm taking this badly! She tried to kill me—_and I just_ _don't understand."_

The angry contact with his formerly-stable surface caught X off-guard as he leaned after his friend, causing him to roll against Zero's tense back. Zero jerked at the unexpected contact, but didn't get up. Something relatively soft impacted with his shoulder; judging by the brown hair he could see out of the corner of his eye, it was X's cheek.

After a moment frozen in surprise, X scrabbled into a less sprawling pose against Zero. The larger android didn't move. The fact that he was accepting deliberate contact while upset was unusual and probably not a good sign.

"Zero?" He prompted gently. "Tell me."

Zero put his head in his hands, finger clenching around golden strands of hair at his temples. He could still feel bits of X's blood, he realized with a sick pang in his gut. He thought he'd gotten it all out.

"I don't…trust many people," he began stiffly. By Light if he didn't sound pathetic. "Maybe you, Cain, and…Storm, and…"

"Iris," X finished for him, his soft voice coming from somewhere behind Zero's right ear.

"I trusted her. I could have _loved her_, X, and she…she tried to kill me. I didn't want to kill Colonel, and I certainly didn't enjoy it. But she doesn't believe that. She threw away everything I said—what we had—because she's convinced herself that I'm her brother's murderer."

"Did I…" Zero turned his head gingerly, until he could see X's pale, bandaged right arm. He couldn't look into X's eyes, not now. "Did I mean so little to Iris?" _Do I mean so little?_

Saying her name hurt as much as it did to mention Storm or Cain, but she wasn't even dead. What had she _done_ to him?

Zero felt fingers brush over the fabric of his shirt, making the synthflesh on his shoulder blade tingle, but they didn't stay. He'd made X unsure. X was almost never unsure.

"Zero, if….if Iris had killed me," Zero's muscles clenched, seizing up almost painfully. That was the scenario he'd been fighting with all day—now even X was bringing it up. "Would you kill her?"

"Yes," he said tightly. There wasn't even a real question to be answered there. It was _fact._

"Even if it was an accident?"

Zero paused to think about that, and realized that he couldn't properly answer. It hadn't happened. Colonel had challenged him, and after Colonel's defeat, Iris had attacked him while Double had his two-faced yellow aft handed to him by X. And X hadn't died.

It came down to this: could he let the person responsible for X's death live?

Zero shook his head grimly, hair slithering across his back, "I'd still probably kill her."

"I mean that much to you?"

Zero's nose wrinkled in confused annoyance. There was no question there either, "Haven't I blown myself up for you once?"

X finally let his hand rest on Zero's back, "You mean that much to me, too."

Something warm and fuzzy exploded in his chest. He peeked over his shoulder at X's hand and twitched, torn between gagging and whipping around to crush X in a hug until he squeaked. _This is undignified._

"And guess what?" X continued, and something in his tone made Zero freeze in anticipation. "Colonel meant that much to Iris."

Zero wanted to droop in renewed shame at that, but X still wasn't finished.

"It's not really a question of whether Iris thought your relationship was important or special—and I happen to know she's quite taken with you—it's about how much she loved Colonel. He was special to her—they were two of a kind, twins, like you and I are androids. There aren't many twin reploids."

"And there aren't more than two androids," Zero added quietly.

"Oh, I don't know about that; there could be others. There was at least one other roboticist capable of creating an android—there could be others," X said, and Zero knew X was smiling because he could _hear_ it. "So…Does that…make you feel better?"

"I don't," Zero almost laughed at X's wary question. "Yeah. Yeah it does." And it did.

"Oh good," there was a sharp rap against his back. "Now please go back to your room: We both need to sleep."

Zero snorted and obediently rose, "As you wish, Your Majesty. Lifesaver said you could leave when you woke up, but I think he means sunup."

X stacked and fluffed the pillows before collapsing back into them, "Good, I don't think I want to walk that far right now."

Zero grinned and stretched, making his way out of the room on still-sore legs. And suddenly he remembered something, something that rammed into him with all the force of Iris's mech.

"X," he said, his voice low and controlled. "There's something else we need to talk about. Later."

Zero didn't turn around, and X didn't get up, but he did reply, "Come and get me if you need me. I won't mind."

Zero nodded once, and left.


	5. A Bad Night

WARNINGS: Some mentioned death.

Pairings: Romantic— mentioned past-ZeroIris. Non-Romantic— XZero bromance.

AN: New semester started! That still doesn't excuse this late chapter.

Unlaced Chapter 5

A Bad Night

Zero had obediently returned to his quarters after leaving X to rest. He felt better than when he'd arrived back from Final Weapon. HQ wasn't quiet tonight; from almost every room he passed he saw and heard celebrating reploids. Zero was disappointed that he didn't have the will or energy to join them—some socializing would take his mind off of…certain things. But after today—technically yesterday now, he felt like he'd be bringing the mood down.

They really seemed to be enjoying themselves. He wondered what their new Commander would think when he arrived and saw this lot. _I hope he's not as much of a stickler as our temporary._ It was good to have a strong leader, but this guy had a way of sucking morale. In fact, they were still celebrating at four in the morning when Zero strode out of his quarters to take a brisk, relaxing walk to Medical.

_Twice _in his sleep cycle he'd dreamed of Iris murdering X while he slept. If anything needed to see where she was before he could rest. X wouldn't chide him for putting his mind at ease—not that X _had_ to know.

Med Bay was quiet, unlike the rest of HQ. There were visitors in the rooms of some of the injured reploids, but none of them were loud—an occasional chuckle at most. War won or not, anyone disrupting the rest of Lifesaver's patients got kicked out on their afts; banished until they were admitted themselves. There were no exceptions to this….even if the disruption was a Commander giving his subordinate a _well-earned_ chewing out.

When he passed Iris's door he stopped for a moment. Should he go in and check on her now or wait until he'd seen X tucked safely away in bed? If he saw her that would probably be the best way to keep him from going nuts during the remaining walk to X's room, but what if she was awake and saw him? Maybe she was having difficulty sleeping too, Asimov knew she deserved a few sleepless nights if she was going to continually interrupt _his_ sleep. But would she think he was trying t—to watch her in her sleep like some sort of stalkerish freak? If she thought that, and if X found out sleep-loss was going to be the least of his issues.

Would she….would she try to kill him again?

He turned abruptly and continued down the hall—he could assess her _after_ he'd checked on X. X was weakened and vulnerable; _he_ took priority not _her_.

He gave the receptionists a weak salute and a small smile. They weren't the same reploids as before but he was sure the previous shift's receptionists had told them of the day's drama involving him. It was standard receptionist/navigator operations. Plus, the little one kept glancing nervously as he passed.

When Zero reached X's room and stepped insi—he retreated quickly, eyes wide in shock. He thought his synapses had misfired and he was hallucinating one of his nightmares. X's room was larger and nicer than the room Iris had been placed in: _Had_ been placed in, because she certainly wasn't there now.

No, she was sitting in the chair next to X's bed—where he'd been just a few hours ago—pretty as you please.

_Cain's fruitcake, what is she doing in there!? _ Zero reentered the room slowly, limbs tense, eyes locked on the disheveled reploid. Here he was without his weapon again. She was slumped; with her chin on her chest and her gloved hands clasped in her lap, she seemed deeply asleep. Zero turned his gaze on X, who had his head, and body, tilted toward her: He had been aware of her presence before he went to sleep.

Zero's generator pounded in his chest, a panicked cadence he rarely felt off the battlefield. Was she really asleep? What was she _doing_ in there?! He started to lunge for X, but stopped.

"_She's not going to hurt me." _X had insisted. It was true that X rarely lied, even for the sake of Zero's reassurance: But he _had_ been known to twist the truth. Iris had never displayed any desire to slaughter anyone but him. X knew her, and Iris still seemed as enthralled by her uncle as new recruits were by Zero.

He backed away, out into the hall, watching Iris critically. She really was asleep; she looked as harmless…and cute as she ever had. The Crimson Hunter relaxed slightly. Maybe X would be—

"Go back to bed."

Zero wouldn't even admit it to X, but at that moment a less than masculine scream had vibrated through his throat. The only reason the entire medical facility wasn't up in an instant to save a damsel in distress was because he'd been too startled to even open his mouth.

If Lifesaver had noticed, he was ignoring it, face stern with disapproval.

Zero recovered, feeling grateful for the Medic for the first time since…well, ever. "You've known she was here?"

The Chief of Medical clasped his hands behind his back, looking every inch the professional physician, "I haven't taken my eyes off of her."

Zero was skeptical, tilting his head to regard the other reploid, "Oh really? Even when I walked up the hallway with no one in sight?"

Lifesaver tapped his right temple, "I meant surveillance: I can't stand in the doorway all night while I'm on duty." To Zero's horror, Lifesaver's sour face twisted into a small grin. "I did step out to see your reaction, though."

Only the nearby presence of the two sleeping reploids that he didn't want to confront kept him from screaming in anger.

~X~

First day of recruit screening.

X choked back a groan at the realization. He really wasn't in the mood to go through a roster full of rookies and pick out the replacements for the member the 17th had lost during the Rebellion. Which was most of them.

X stared at the ceiling as he wrestled flaring emotions back under his control, trying to relax and claim just a little more light sleep. He'd lost most of them in the initial strike, on Sky Lagoon or in the city below it. They'd been just as baffled as everyone else had been by the sudden stand-offishness from the once amicable Repliforce soldiers. He wondered if Magma Dragoon had struck any of them down himself.

_Be careful—_He had known some of them for quite a while. _The flash of Dingo's sharp teeth as he smiled cockily. Being senior officer in the 17__th__ would warrant some arrogance, especially from this reploid—_And some of them had been new. Very, _very_ new.

_He tried to warn her off—"Go back to headquarters; you shouldn't be here"—she was too young and inexperienced. Shy and indecisive, she wasn't more than six months old when he'd first met her. He had been displeased when she had been sent to his _elite_ Unit, and then realized that his superiors didn't expect her to fight at all. She was a new medic-type, recently orphaned, left feeling terrified and helpless as a result—_Zero was right, he did form attachments too deeply, too quickly. _She had worshipped him, did anything to garner his attention and praise. She had been placed with the 17__th__ Unit for a reason; they were both her bodyguards and her surrogate—_

_It was his fault, "Audrey!" "Don't worry, Commander, we'll get the kid out of here!" Dingo saluted as he led the others away, the pastels of Aubrey's armor contrasting with the harsh metal and flashing lights. Reassurances, teasing—X? — "What part of Elite Unit is so incomprehensible; I am not their babysitter—_He didn't mind it_—They can't keep flinging these desperate newbuilts at me—_he really didn't_—and expect me to watch over them—_no one else would do it.

_The old man was grinning at him. "You should settle down and make a few kids of your own once this Virus is under control"—_I'm not having kids, Cain.

_Teasing, and surprising genuineness, "You'd be a good father"—_They would die, like the rookies, and his heart would break.

_X! You OK, buddy?_

X blinked the haze from his eyes and sat up in realization. Zero's concern transferred easily over their link, but X could sense the tense frustration welling up on Zero's side.

_I'm fine, _he soothed the blond. _I was dozing, I think. I couldn't shake my dreams._

He felt the blunt disapproval rolling off of his younger friend and smiled slightly. He was usually the one telling Zero to remember to set pleasant memories to cycle through the night. Especially recently; Zero's unconscious mind had taken to wandering down dark paths while he slept, regardless of whether he settled in for dreamless recharge or memories. Even when X tried to push some of his own good memories into Zero's sleep, they, too, somehow became tainted.

He wondered if they were about Iris.

_You're alright, though?_

_I'm about to go wander on home and take a shower, _X sent as he slid his legs over the side of the bed and stood. _Have you had breakfast yet?_

_I just woke up myself and I have no desire to burn my quarters down. You'd better hurry; we have noobs to break in today._

A sour taste flooded X's mouth, a quick flash of anger and grief that startled both of them in its intensity. _Ah…yes. I remember,_

A palpable silence came from Zero's end of the link. X could feel him struggling to find something to say. The blond noticed that his frustration was being picked up on and halted in embarrassment.

_I'm…I'm not as good at these kinds of things as you are._

_I know, _X replied forgivingly.

*~X~*

X's apartment was warm when Zero stepped inside, for which he was grateful because the cold in the hall had invaded his damp hair on the walk over. And…it smelled deliciously of—"_Bacon."_

Wordless amusement radiated from the kitchen as he quickly padded inside and honed in on the table. _Oh, it smelled fantastic._

X was just putting a plate of the delicious, crunchy meat strips in the center of the table, beside the plate of gloriously fluffy pancakes. Zero pulled out his designated chair and plopped down, sliding the entire platter of bacon closer to his seat as soon as X returned to the cooking area.

The brunet raised a brow at him when he returned, toting a bottle of syrup and a knife and fork pair for both of them. X sweetly placed a set of utensils beside Zero's plate. Too sweetly, "I doubt you slept well, so eat up."

Zero's hand stopped in mid-air; half the strip of bacon he was holding snapped off and dropped dramatically onto his plate.

_He knows. How?_

X paused in his pancake-slicing to smile meaningfully across the table, "Hurry up, we have a busy day ahead of us."

AN: By the way, I have a tumblr now—and so does my X muse, so if you have _any_ questions about my stories, the characters, the plot, etc, you may ask them there. Check my profile for the URL is doctorlightnumber-x. tumblr


	6. The New Commander

WARNING(s): same as previous chapters.

Pairing(s): same a s previous chapters.

AN: Sorry this took so long to get out, and sorry for any errors in this chapter—I'm afraid I've rushed it a bit. College is eating at my motivation by making me cringe at the sight of a Word document. I'll try to speed these updates up a bit.

Please review? They always make me and my diva muses so happy =^_^=

Unlaced Chapter 6

New Arrival

_S_

During the first uprising, Sigma's downfall had stunned everyone who knew him: Sigma was stern but there wasn't an ounce of cruelty in his body. X had known him since the moment he opened his eyes. Sigma had always had a great passion fof duty and justice, so when his status as a Maverick was unveiled… Cain had accepted it as inevitability long ago, though the old man never felt any respite from his guilt in all the years after losing his eldest; X suspected that Cain had known of Sigma's turning long before anyone else, but had kept silent out of lack of conviction.

X himself had buried his hurt under a sense of justice and stepped off the sidelines to confront Sigma out of responsibility. Zero's hero-worship had been brutally slaughtered in an instant and, as usual, his pain turned to anger and efficiency on the battlefield.

Signas…well, Signas had taken the news very badly. He had been quite young then, and in his eyes his older brother could do no wrong. He withdrew and became less eager to fight, but by the time the second Uprising had begun Signas was as active as ever. That changed during the third war, when Doppler had… The second eldest Cainbot had resigned with Cain's blessing and adopted (slightly) less violent pursuits: Private investigator. He was extremely clever and persistent and the job had suited him well. X hadn't attempted to convince him to stay; there were days when he just wanted to get up, grab Zero by the ponytail, and walk out.

The Rebellion had made Signas more stalwart than ever, and in an unexpected turn of events, he had contacted X before the betrayals of Iris and Double to confirm his father's mantel as Supreme Commander. That had left X thoroughly surprised. Cain and X had argued about who would replace Cain when he was gone; Cain thought X should take his seat—to which X stubbornly refused, denying his qualification and ability.

He was just an idealist, a pacifist, and he knew other Hunters looked down on him for it.

Eventually they both agreed Signas would be a fantastic Commander—except Signas had refused. But now he had accepted the offer: Perhaps the recent deaths in their family had strengthened the younger reploid's resolve.

X's face split into a grin when he laid eyes on his second eldest nephew waiting outside of HQ's grounds. The navy-armored giant stood smartly in front of the gate, arms behind his back, studiously ignoring the group of suspicious guards. X couldn't blame them: Signas looked very much the stereotypical Repliforce soldier.

X stepped up to the gate and took advantage of its one-way transparency. His nephew looked older, though his physical appearance hadn't changed. Reploid or not, one doesn't go over a decade without changing; it was apparent in the hard lines in Signas' synthskin and the way he held himself.

Signas' brows drew together as if he sensed X's scrutiny. Perhaps he did. X snorted at that very real possibility and entered the access code.

c-S-c

Signas' attention was ripped from the sky—as he tried not to notice the hard stares from the guards—to the gate as it unceremoniously vanished. Signas hadn't been designed with a fusion generator; father had developed a rotation generator to pump Signas' coolant, but if he'd had one it would have started beating a lot faster.

"Signas," acknowledged a warm voice that was still familiar after a decade of reprieve he'd had from it.

"Uncle," Signas inclined his head, conscious of the intensified stares of the security reploids, and of his uncle's nearly overpowering presence.

"Welcome home," X smiled as he turned, gesturing for him to follow.

He fell into step beside and a little behind X after a moment's hesitation. The atrophied link between them seemed to beckon and Signas tugged on it with as much respect as he could. The channel was dead and quiet still and he almost let it go, until X reciprocated. X's acknowledgement surged through the link, washing away emotional debris left over from decade-old disagreements.

Signas had the strangest urge to thank him.

~S~

Headquarters hadn't changed much since he had last been there. Still, it seemed far larger, more mechanized, and less personable. Father had had the place designed like a human business almost. Comfortable, a place you could live in and become fond of. It seemed sterile now.

_I'll have to do something about this place later. Some parts of HQ were rebuilt quite recently. _

"A lot has changed since the third war. Are reploids still stationed as Father wanted?" Comfortable, uncramped, someplace they could call home—because, as soldiers they had no other choice.

"Still in the biodome. Headquarters grew quite a bit so we had some more short-range teleport pads built."

"You still live at the East gate?"

X nodded again, "It's mostly empty in that quarter now that Cain's gone. I convinced Zero to move into my house just recently, though."

Signas almost snorted. X's house was a large, comely building with a garden and meticulously kept lawn—small as it was. His father had started construction on it after the first Uprising, when he truly began to feel his age every morning, and worried for X's future. Back then, Father and X had lived in the Cain residence, spending most of their time researching in the labs below. When the house was finished and presented to X, the kind reploid had insisted Cain move in with him. At that point, Cain was practically living in his office, unable to bear the commute to work anymore. From what the information he'd gathered from a handful of old acquaintances still living at HQ, he knew X had lived alone for a full two months before grabbing Zero by the ear one morning and kidnapping him. Metaphorically, he hoped. His uncle could be extremely persistent when he wanted something and he hated being alone.

"And Zero is a good companion?" He asked warily. He wasn't overly familiar with the blond reploid, but he remembered his relationship with X being an unholy mix of fascination, condescension, affection, and something bordering on possessiveness.

"Yes, he can be troublesome at times, though," X smiled, looking both fond and annoyed at the thought of his old friend. "He hasn't been feeling like himself lately, so he may be hard to get along with at the moment. But, please be gentle with him?"

It only took Signas a moment to understand,"…Iris. I…wish I'd been here to stop her—there was no sense in what she did! I wish I'd been able to speak to Colonel and General, talk them out of this senseless war…"

X didn't pause or slow as they walked into the lobby. Cheerful receptionists saluted his uncle as they passed by the front desk.

_It's alright, Signas. There was nothing you could do to stop them—they had made their minds up. I tried to meet with Colonel after Sky Lagoon but he turned me away, so I went to General. He was resolved in his decisions, and I couldn't sway him._

Signas knew Colonel's rejection had to hurt him. Colonel was always the most rebellious of them when it came to X, but turning him away…. He tried to think of something he could say or do to comfort his uncle, but X brushed his efforts gently away.

Quickly checked the time, and then paused, "Do you still remember how to get to the office?" He offered Signas a standard Hunter badge. Had that been in his hand the whole time?

Signas accepted the badge and ran his thumb over the engraved titanium. It had been a long time since he'd had one of these…. "Of course, Uncle."

X bowed in acknowledgement and gave his nephew a regretful little smile, "My apologies, Signas, I have a busy day ahead of me. It's the first day of replacement try-outs, you see."

~X~

The first evaluation hadn't been promising in the least. Two rookies had shown up for the 17th; one of them had shown potential, but he had ended up turning her away to another needy unit due to her specialties. The other had ended up backing out at the last minute. So, in reality, only one rookies had come to him for try-outs.

He wasn't surprised by the lack of turn out because most of the Hunters were still celebrating, mourning, or recovering. He would certainly have more at the second screening tonight.

After seeing the rookies properly transferred to the other Unit, X returned to Medical to fulfill his promise. He would rather not operate on his niece, but she needed this…still. X greeted the passing nurses, feeling considerably less cheery than he'd have them believe, as he entered Iris's room.

She had been sitting quietly on the bed, clutching Colonel's saber, but she stood quickly when he came in. X observed her downcast face. He couldn't blame her, surgery was scary, but the thought of having something changed in your neural wiring was even scarier, "Are you ready, Iris?"

Iris started as though surprised he was speaking to her, brown hair falling over her eyes, "Yes, but….I'm a bit nervous, really…"

"I would be more concerned if you weren't," he told her with a faint smile. "I promise, you won't feel a thing."

Iris fidgeted and glanced sneakily at him from under her bangs, "Oh! I…I wasn't even wondering about that."

_Of course not_. "Come along, then, Iris. Lifesaver has an OR open for us, but I doubt it will stay that way if we don't get there in a timely fashion."

Iris fell into step behind him, much as her older brother had earlier that morning.

"The operation should take about an hour. Not that you'll notice, of course," X announced. "You'll have until six tonight to become acquainted with your new programming."

"Oh," it would be a lie if she said she'd forgotten about the try-outs. They were constantly on her mind, even though X had assured her it was just a formality and that he _would_ put her in the Unit, no matter what. She hoped to do well. She knew it would eat away at her uncle if she were unfairly placed in his Unit if she was the worst fighter there. How in the world would she be prepared by then? But she would; no matter what, she would be.

"I'll be ready."

_S_

The office had changed very little since he had last seen it. An enormous faux-wood desk that had dwarfed his father when he sat behind it, drawers and file cabinets full of documents and personal things, shelves dedicated to his father's collection hobby, a wide window behind the desk were his father would look out over headquarters. The room had gathered some more clutter, a few more additions in his father's collections on the walls, but it looked the same….except, it felt un-occupied. He knew the temporary Commander had (occasionally) used the office, and he knew X cleaned it up himself every few days. It still felt empty.

Father was gone now, and there was no use dwelling on it. He had papers to organize now that he'd finally cleared himself with security and was officially the commander of the Maverick Hunters. Signas nodded to himself in quiet determination and moved to sit in the seat behind his newly appointed desk.

He settled into the chair and reached out to open the top left drawer—and suddenly he was considerably lower than he had been before. _Blasted chair,_ he thought as he stood adjusted the chair to its former height and settled back down into it.

Thirty minutes, three abrupt falls, and a handful of papers later, the chair dropped him again, sending a flurry of previously organized documents through the air. Signas rose, cursing, to retrieve his papers, glancing feverishly at the treacherous piece of furniture. That eventually turned into a tirade of hatred against the chair that continued for several minutes.

"I'm replacing you first thing tomorrow. And then I am going to…..Hello, Uncle."

X stood in the doorway, his youthful face baffled. His green eyes darted around the room, as though searching for someone else, then glanced between Signas and the chair, "Should I come back later?"

Signas wanted to smack himself in the face with his handful of papers. What a way to start a career…. "No, Uncle, you're always welcome, no matter the state of my mental health."


	7. The Hippo and the Jackal

WARNING(S): nothing objectionable, I think.

Pairings: Nope. Some mildly fluffy X.

AN: Ah, look, an update.

Unlaced

Chapter 7

The Hippo and the Jackal

—

His little buddy looked decidedly puzzled when he came in for dinner, his face stamped with an almost horrified expression. What had him upset now? Zero turned to stab a forkful of the pasta he'd just finished warming up, stuffing it in him mouth before turning his attention back to X.

"What's the matter, X? Your arm isn't giving you trouble, is it?" He'd favored it early this morning, but after breakfast he'd seemed well enough, and Zero'd seen him off with a nanite patch for good measure.

"I'm alright, Zero," X deflected his concern with a smile. "I'm a little worried for my nephew's mental health is all."

"Nephew?" He lifted an eyebrow as he pushed a plate toward X's chair. Which of X's crazy nephews were causing problems now? "As in our new Commander nephew? Or one of your other nephews who went insane?"

X did an excellent impression of a kicked, orphaned kitten. Zero immediately felt guilty. Why was X so good at making him feel guilty? "Sorry," he apologized quietly, though he still felt the slight at Colonel was justified.

The elder android settled down to eat, giving him a stern look over the table. Zero knew he forgave him—this time. Next time, however, X might withhold food; he'd have to go back to eating fast food and microwave dinners. He smirked at X and then promptly ignored him for his dinner.

They ate in silence; X knew better than to try dragging anything out of Zero when he was eating. But once most of Zero's chicken and pasta had been devoured, X piped up. "Any luck with the recruits?"

"Nope." He sneered. Bumbling idiots all of them. "I'm letting one of my lieutenants take over the tryouts until we get transfers." Which would be in the next few days, with any luck.

"I can't take on apprentices like you; I don't have the patience for wide-eyed children—"

_The girl._ "Ah…."

X, ever patient with his faux pas, brushed it off. "Ah, well, don't think I'll be doing that much anymore, anyway."

Zero looked down at his plate again. He stepped on X's toes without fail these days. He couldn't even hold a conversation with the 'bot anymore!

"Zero," a hand slid across the table to touch Zero's right hand. "It's okay. Stop beating yourself up over everything."

Zero flashed him a forced grin. "Come on, X, I'm incorrigible, you know that."

X sighed at him, patting his wrist once in strained affection before withdrawing his hand.

The meal continued in silence until X pushed himself away from the table abruptly. Zero jerked and looked at him expectantly. X took his plate to the sink before coming back to lean on his chair. "Well, you may not be going to the tryouts, but I am. I'll be back later, Zero."

Zero debated stopping him, but he was gone before he could get the words out. Well, he could bring up his dreams later. He'd inconvenienced the android enough lately.

*~I~*

Iris glanced around the gym anxiously, letting her bangs fall over her eyes as she tried to hide her face. She just needed to wait until the lucky Reploids were named on the bulletin board, and then she could slip out. A rookie running out before finding out her placement was suspicious to say the least.

She'd traded in her usual outfit for a set of basic Hunter trainee's armor, and braided her hair. Iris had avoided the other hopeful Hunter rookies, scrambling to be recruited before the transfers came in within the next few days. She hadn't even given out her name. No one recognized her as a Repliforce—former, Repliforce soldier, and no one approached her. She had one of the earliest knock out times out entire group for sim training: Iris suspected the only reason she'd lasted as long as she had was because she had hung back behind the other simulated Hunters.

Like a coward.

She didn't understand her sudden reluctance to fight. She'd just been in a war mech, hell-bent on destroying the Crimson Hunter. And that was the problem, wasn't it? She didn't want to feel that anger again.

Iris gripped her saber nervously as the other rookies milled around her, their attention centered around the bulletin boards spread throughout the room. A group of them passed by in front of her and she ducked her head slightly, just to be safe. She wanted to get out of here now, but it would be suspicious to leave before the names were up.

They'd been through the sims training and now their performance was being evaluated, all that was left was the waiting. Iris knew her presence here was mere formality: She had a place on the unit. And, if anything, that made her feel more guilty and uneasy. Her uncle could just as easily let her slip in quietly at training one day, there was no reason for her to be here. What if someone brought up that she hadn't done well in the sims? Would her uncle get in trouble for—

There was a presence at her arm, sudden, but big. Iris turned, squeaking as she nearly ran into another Reploid. This one was large, blue, and designed after….a hippopotamus?

"Hi!" The other Reploid chirped, her voice unexpectedly high, and her enormous face alight with glee. "I'm Taweret."

Iris blinked up at her, taken aback by her openness and sudden appearance. She remembered this Reploid from her short waiting time before a sim room had opened up for her. Taweret was unexpectedly coordinated with her substantial bulk, she hardly moved like a rookie. What was she doing talking to her? Had Taweret recognized her?

"Ah, hi," she responded tentatively. "I remember you. I'm….my name is Iris."

Something like recognition flickered in the bestial Reploid's brown optics. "Oh, I've heard of you. Formerly in Repliforce, right?"

Iris almost hopped up to cover the other female's mouth. She glanced around, afraid someone had heard her name spoken. "….Yes."

"Don't worry," Taweret smiled as reassuringly as a bestial Reploid could. "I'm not angry with you. I thought you looked a bit worried. Are you afraid you won't make it into the Unit? A lot of rookies don't; just train hard and if you don't make it this time you can try again another year!"

Iris glanced at the floor, guilt welling up in her again. "….I made it in."

Taweret looked taken aback, confused by her conviction. Then she brightened. "Oh! You're an apprentice!" This wasn't an appropriate response to finding out that a traitor and former Repliforce soldier was trying to work their way into the ranks of the Hunters.

Her uncle hadn't used quite the same term, but it was apt, wasn't it? She nodded in reply. Iris was more than a little wary of this overly exuberant Reploid. Iris couldn't believe that Taweret wasn't really angry with her, jovial by nature or not.

Taweret opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by the names of lucky Reploids appearing on the bulletin boards in bright white letters. Iris ran out of the training center while the others were distracted by the announcements.

She walked hastily down the hall, away from the others; she wanted out of here before people saw her name and started asking questions.

"We seem to be doing a lot of running lately, aren't we Iris?"

The young Reploid whirled, unpleasantly stunned by the unfamiliar voice. She didn't recognize this Reploid: He was jackal-like in design, his sleek head was pale tan with delicate ears that twitched at the slightest sound. He didn't look amused.

"C-can I help y—?"

"What are you doing here?" He cut her off, his fangs flashing. He wasn't particularly angry but he certainly wasn't pleased. "Shouldn't you be dead?"

Iris flinched. She shouldn't be surprised that someone had finally recognized her, but she was. "I…I was pardoned."

"I bet you were. I saw your name on the list, Iris," he seemed to be making up for all the skepticism she thought Taweret had been lacking. "Who in their right mind let you back into our ranks?! Let alone the 17th—"

"I did, Arta." X said as he stepped around the corner to stand between the two of them. "She's my apprentice and she's fully reformed, I assure you."

Iris looked between X and….Arta? They seemed to know each other, and X didn't look very upset with the other Reploid. X grabbed her by the wrist and stepped away, "We can talk about this later. I'll see you in training, Arta."

The canid Reploid nodded reluctantly, giving her one last pointed look before turning away himself. Iris was pulled along down the hallway beside her uncle. Were they going somewhere or was he just trying to escort her out of the line of fire? X gave her a quick smile but didn't say anything.

The pair wandered through HQ, apparently taking the long way around to the residential area and X's home. It looked the same as she remembered, if a little larger and even more out of place. Was Zero there? They lived together, if she recalled correctly. But her uncle wouldn't take her in there if Zero was there, right?

"Uncle?" She piped up finally as they stepped up to the front door. She felt safer now. "Who was that Reploid that talked to me? Arta? He seemed to know me."

X paused after she spoke, his hand still clamped around her wrist. He turned and looked at her, his expression one of remorse. "He's the younger brother of one of my lieutenants, Dingo. Dingo died at the Sky Lagoon."

AN: I tried to write the sim training scene, I really did, but my brain fought me. So, I have a new chapter of Ars Moriendi that's almost ready, and several chapters of fic tentatively titled "Empire Dreams" (named after a song I was listening to when I got the plot bunny for it) as well as working on the Fallen Angel fic(s)….all while being fairly badly depressed and with anxiety on the side. Fun. Really though, I'm getting better at writing more.

My writing's still not up to snuff, I know, but reviews are appreciated.


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